


Intimate Intimidation

by hello_pink



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, Karasuno, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nationals, Nekoma, Pining, Third Gym (Haikyuu!!)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28179282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hello_pink/pseuds/hello_pink
Summary: Kuroo and Tsukishima pine for each other in the third gym. Will they get together?Another entry for Haikyuu Secret Santa 2020!!
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Kudos: 50
Collections: Haikyuu Secret Santa 2020





	Intimate Intimidation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alex0__0](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alex0__0/gifts).



> Manga spoilers for chapter 294 at the end after the line "What a motivator love is."

“Tsukishima never does anything that’s lame. He never fails at tests. He always does things like _whoosh_! and _swish_! So I think he’ll be okay. Between being good at volleyball and sucking at it, it’s obvious which one is the cooler of the two!”

* * *

“Oya?”

“Oya oya?”

“Oya oya oya?”

The third gym trio smirked as Tsukishima returned to the gym. Bokuto teasingly elbowed Kuroo and snickered, but Tsukishima decided against reading into whatever had happened in his absence.

Tsukishima’s face remained an impassive slate as he spoke calmly. He glanced around while speaking. “There’s something I’d like to ask you. May I?” As he finished his question, his eyes locked with Kuroo’s.

Kuroo covered his face with a hand and turned away in an effort to hide his blush whilst Tsukishima looked down at the ground with the tips of his ears colored red.

Bokuto’s eyes widened and he grinned as he looked over at Akaashi. Akaashi lightly shook his head, signalling to Bokuto that now was not the time for Bokuto’s scheming.

After a minute of silence, Tsukishima spoke again. “Well?” His voice was laced slightly with annoyance.

“Sure!” Bokuto and Kuroo immediately replied.

Tsukishima was taken aback by their directness as he had expected them to joke and make fun of his hesitancy. His eyes widened slightly and his cheeks added some pink to his normally pale skin tone.

“Thank you very much.” He bowed slightly, and the other three boys immediately recognized how this Tsukishima was somehow different than before.

Bokuto smirked as he listened to Tsukishima speak and Akaashi’s face remained expressionless. Kuroo fought to keep his smile at bay and looked on with his face colored with disinterest, though he was feeling the opposite inside.

“Both of your schools are sometimes considered powerhouse schools, right?” Tsukishima continued.

Tsukishima meant it as a statement of fact to lead into what he wanted to ask, but Bokuto and Kuroo’s expressions immediately turned sour and the blonde’s words brushed them the wrong way.

“Well, yeah.” Kuroo pouted.

“Even if you were able to make it to nationals, actually winning there would be difficult, right?”

Kuroo grimaced, and Bokuto let out a squawk of protest. “But not impossible!” The owl-headed boy exclaimed.

Akaashi sighed before turning to look at the outraged males beside him. “Now, now,” he rationalized with the others, “let’s hear him out. This is just a what-if.”

“I am genuinely curious about this.” Tsukishima offered a half-apology. He blinked and swallowed before finding his next words. “Why do you get so desperate to do all of this?”

Bokuto and Kuroo looked on, slightly frowning as they didn’t like where this talk was headed.

“Volleyball is just a club, and maybe you’ll get to write, _‘I worked really hard in my club in high school,’_ on your resume, right?”

Bokuto narrowed his eyes as his brow furrowed. “‘Just a club?’”

Shivers ran down Tsukishima’s spine as he straightened his back. He had never seen the other male look as serious. _Did I say something wrong?_ he wondered for a moment.

After joking around for a moment about Tsukishima’s wording, the boisterous personality of Bokuto was back and he addressed Tsukishima. “Say, Four Eyes.”

“It’s Tsukishima.” he dryly responded.

“Say, Tsukishima!” Bokuto corrected himself. “Is volleyball fun?”

Tsukishima looked around the gym as he considered his answer. He shrugged slightly as he said, “No, not really…”

Bokuto grinned and stood up as straight as he could. “Maybe that’s because you suck at it?”

Tsukishima froze for a moment as Bokuto’s words rang throughout the gym. Kuroo snickered for a moment before Tsukishima pointed an icy stare at him. Kuroo held his hands up to show he meant no harm, but his teasing smirk remained and continued to irk Tsukishima.

“I’m a third year,” Bokuto bragged, “and I’ve gone to the nationals. I’m better than you. Way better than you!”

“You don’t have to tell me that.”

“But I only recently started thinking that volleyball was fun.”

Tsukishima remained silent and his eyes widened in shock as he considered Bokuto’s words. _A nationals level ace? Only recently?_

Kuroo, having lived through this story and heard Bokuto talk about it more times than he could count, tuned out. Instead, he spent this time admiring the blonde’s expression as he listened intently.

_He really must have wanted advice if he came here to us. What answer is he looking for?_

Without realizing it, Kuroo had been staring at Tsukishima for quite some time. Tsukishima could feel his gaze and actively fought against his desire to turn and meet it.

“--t’s my story, and it might not fit for anyone and everyone.”

Kuroo came back to his senses as he heard Bokuto wrapping up his tale.

“I don’t really understand why you say it’s ‘just a club,’ but I don’t think you’re wrong. But once that moment arrives for you,” Bokuto pointed a finger at Tsukishima. “That’s the moment you’ll be hooked on volleyball.”

Tsukishima’s eyes lit up and Kuroo knew that a few things had clicked into place. Seeing how his friend had inspired someone, Kuroo smiled. Knowing what Bokuto would ask next caused his smile to broaden.

Tsukishima glanced over and fought to keep his expression neutral at seeing the dark haired middle blocker smiling.

“Okay. I answered your question, so jump a few blocks for me!” Bokuto exclaimed.

Kuroo knew Tsukishima would protest, so he placed his hand firmly on Tsukishima’s shoulder. His fingers tingled as Kuroo knew only a thin layer of cotton separated his hand from Tsukishima’s skin, and they twitched as Kuroo longed to slide them closer to Tsukishima’s neck and soft skin. “Now, now,” he drawled, “hurry, hurry.”

Tsukishima attempted to speak, but his protests fell on deaf ears as Kuroo’s hand slid from his shoulder down to grasp his wrist. Tsukishima’s mouth fell open and he gaped like a fish as Kuroo pulled him by the wrist towards the net.

The sound of volleyballs hitting palms echoed through the gym as the group of four practiced for a while longer.

* * *

The next day, during a match of Fukurodani vs Karasuno, Tsukishima set himself up to block Bokuto. His cheeks dusted red, as he recalled the blocking advice of Kuroo from the night before, but no one called him out on it as they assumed his cheeks were flushed due to hard work. Kuroo’s voice rang throughout Tsukishima’s head:

_“First, become conscious. Insert power all the way up to your fingertips so that they will never get blown back.”_

_Kuroo grasped Tsukishima’s hands in his own as he gently spread his fingers the appropriate width apart. There was nothing wrong with Tsukishima’s stance, and both men pretended it wasn’t just another opportunity for them to touch._

_The two stood in front of the net, Tsukishima looking intently at Kuroo as Kuroo held his arms up. “And put your hands in front of you, instead of over your head... And then make this annoying owl shut up!”_

Tsukishima chuckled as he remembered Kuroo’s behavior. Daichi looked at Tsukishima strangely as they were still playing in a match, so Tsukishima focused on looking as neutral as always.

Tsukishima’s expression soured as he recalled what had happened shortly after Kuroo gave him some pointers.

_Shortly before leaving the gym, Kuroo and Tsukishima sat on the ground with Tsukishima’s hands in Kuroo’s lap. Kuroo gently bandaged the aching digits, and both males fought off their blushes._

_Silence filled the gym before Kuroo broke it. “Shouldn’t you get your boyfriend to wrap your fingers?” Kuroo jokes._

_Tsukishima blinked at Kuroo. “My… what?”_

_“You know… the freckled boy always following you around?”_

_For some reason Tsukishima dared not name, his stomach filled with an indescribable emotion. Abruptly standing, he rushed out of the gym, claiming he was very tired and wanted to rest._

_Kuroo’s hurt expression haunted Tsukishima’s dreams, but Tsukishima’s own feelings towards the other male caused his own hurt expression._

_“Tch. It’s not Yamaguchi I like…” Tsukishima muttered to himself as he washed his face for the evening. “Why do you even care?”_

With his focus snapping back to the game, Tsukishima jumped as high as he could as he positioned himself in such a way that forced Bokuto to do a feint.

As everyone on that court looked at Tsukishima, recognizing that he had caused the great Bokuto to run from a block, Kuroo watched with a smirk on his face.

He chuckled, and Kenma peered up at him. Wordlessly, Kenma’s stare pierced through Kuroo and the tall male knew that whatever feelings he had towards Tsukishima had already been found out by the pudding-haired boy.

Tsukishima walked back to his spot with a blank look on his face but people that knew him well that were looking closely (i.e. Yamaguchi) noticed his faint blush and the tips of his ears burning red.

Tsukishima attempted to subtly glance over toward the court with the Nekoma game, but he quickly looked away with a grimace as he made eye contact with Kuroo. He glanced over at the bench to see Yamaguchi looking at him already with a look that told him that Yamaguchi already knew the thoughts plaguing him.

* * *

After the game, Yamaguchi attempted to corner Tsukishima. All the greenette got out of the blond was, “Tch. Urusai Yamaguchi.”

Yamaguchi snickered before jokingly flickering his eyes between Tsukishima and the rooster-head outside. Tsukishima rolled his eyes.

“Gomen, Tsukki.”

* * *

After the coach thanked everyone for their hard work, the Karasuno and Nekoma boys pounced on the grills. Kenma and Tsukishima hung back from the crowd and Kuroo remained near them.

The boys all shoved as much food into their faces as they could. Tsukishima softly smiled as he watched Kuroo chase Bokuto around after the owl-like boy stole food from the grill Kuroo was standing by.

Kenma glanced up from his game and he noticed the expression, but he stayed quiet so as to not interrupt Yamaguchi and Tsukishima’s conversation.

“Why is Nishinoya the master?” Yamaguchi questioned as he looked on at Yamamoto, Tanaka, and Nishinoya’s attempts to ward off any potential suitors for Kiyoko.

“Apparently it’s because he’s the tough guy… the only one to have been slapped by Shimizu-senpai.”

“Ah..”

“Tsukishima!” the voice of Daichi, though muffled by food, cut through the air. He held up a plate and smiled as widely as he could. “You need to eat more!”

Tsukishima grimaced at seeing the plate piled high. He appreciated the thought, though he didn’t say anything, but he had already eaten as much as he desired. “No, I can’t eat that much…”

His eyes widened as he glanced up. His soft blush did not go unnoticed by Daichi, Kenma, or Yamaguchi, but the approaching man somehow missed it.

“Come oooonnn… eat some veggies too.” Kuroo smirked.

Tsukishima’s fingers twitched as he fought back the unconscious reaction of reaching towards Kuroo.

“You too, Kenma, damn you!” The moment was ruined as Kuroo pointed at the pudding head who was desperately trying to escape.

“Eat some rice!” Daichi pushed the plate closer to Tsukishima.

“You mean meat!” Bokuto jumped over. “Eat some meat, Tsukki!”

* * *

As the sun set, Tsukishima was abandoned by Yamaguchi who had gone off to make new friends. He was surrounded by Bokuto and Kuroo, however, and Bokuto planted his hand on Tsukishima’s shoulder to keep him stationary. Tsukishima did not feel the same warmth from the contact as he had the night prior with Kuroo, but his close proximity to the Nekoma captain still caused a flurry of butterflies in his stomach.

“In the end, you couldn’t stop my spikes, Tsukki!” Bokuto lightly taunted.

Kuroo glared for a moment at the hand resting on Tsukishima’s shoulder, and Bokuto took the hint. Kuroo longed to replace the hand with his own, but Tsukishima appeared rigid and uncomfortable.

Taking his leave, Kuroo walked over to where Daichi, Asahi, and Tanaka were resting.

“Sorry, by the way.” he called out.

The Karasuno players looked up at Nekoma’s captain in confusion.

“About what?”

“I might have gotten Four Eyes on your team into a foul mood yesterday…”

“What?” asked Daichi.

“Tsukishima actually helped out with free practice? Even if you cornered him into it…” Asahi mumbled.

“So, what did you say?” Karasuno’s captain asked.

Kuroo sat down on the hill in front of the Karasuno members. He looked down the hill where most of the other players had gathered, and his eyes naturally trailed over to the lanky blonde who was now sitting near Yamaguchi. “I provoked him on accident, I think, saying that he should have gotten his boyfriend to help him out with taping his fingers.” Kuroo pointed at Yamaguchi.

The three Karasuno players looked at Kuroo as if he had grown another head.

“Tsukishima...” Asahi began.

“And Tadashi!?” Tanaka finished.

The three crows burst out into laughter.

“Not in a million years!” Tanaka laughed. “You must be blind if you think his eyes are on Tadashi.”

Tanaka’s wording implied that Tsukishima did have his eyes on someone, and Kuroo narrowed his eyes.

_Hmmm… I guess time is running out… he thought._

Kuroo stood up and brushed off his pants. “Thanks, gentlemen. This has been very… enlightening.”

Kuroo walked away with a purpose, and the three Karasuno males looked at one another, pleased that it seemed like one of the two pining idiots would finally be making a move.

* * *

The Tokyo schools stood outside of Shinzen, saying their goodbyes to the parting crows. As they mingled, Kuroo managed to corner Tsukishima. “Well, see ya next time.” Kuroo smiled at Tsukishima.

Tsukishima blushed faintly pink before looking up at Kuroo. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yamaguchi mouthing the words ‘DO IT.’ Taking a leap of faith, Tsukishima took a deep breath. “Kuroo-senpai, I… I like you.” He said it so quietly that it could have been a whisper, though it rang out loudly to Kuroo.

_I like you I like you I like you_

Kuroo stood still as he struggled to process the phrase. Tsukishima’s face fell slightly and he hung his head as he took the silence for rejection.

Seeing the disappointment in the younger male’s eyes, Kuroo stuttered and rushed to respond. “Well…” he began. He rubbed the back of his neck and refused to make eye contact. “I guess that means I’ll take you out on a date when we both make it to nationals.”

The two hadn’t noticed everyone watching their interactions, and the onlookers scrambled to pick up conversation where it had dropped.

“Alright, let’s get on the bus!” Daichi called out.

After everyone calling out their final goodbyes, the Tokyo players walked back into the gym and the Karasuno players got on the bus. When the final two outside were Tsukishima and Kuroo, Tsukishima finally spoke up.

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

The two smiled lightly at each other, but neither knew the etiquette for how to say goodbye.

Yamaguchi opened his window on the bus and called out, “Tsukki, we gotta go!” startling the two males.

They both blushed and muttered a soft ‘goodbye’ to the other. Kuroo watched the bus until it was but a speck in the distance before realizing he had never gotten Tsukishima’s number.

_Dammit_ , he thought. _I could get his number since Kenma talks to that Shorty…_ He shook his head. _Let’s make it to nationals first._

What a motivator love is.

* * *

“We are blood. Never stop flowing. Keep moving. Keep bringing in the oxygen so that our brain can operate at his best.”

Karasuno and Nekoma lined up on opposite sides of the net one last time. After a long rally, Karasuno came out victorious and claimed the first point.

After a particularly good block from Kuroo shutting down Daichi’s spike, Kuroo and Tsukishima stared at each other through the net.

“I told you, you wanna put ‘em forward.” Kuroo taunted.

“Handing out advice to opponents again? I see you are as self-confident as ever.” Tsukishima bit back.

Kuroo chuckled and smiled. “I just do it to mess with you.”

The taunt irked Tsukishima, but he smiled his own taunting smile. “Is that how it is? Well, here we are both at nationals…”

Kuroo smiled. “How about we get dinner sometime after this?”

“Loser buys.”

"I hope you brought your wallet."

* * *

Bonus from the end of chapter 297~

“Yeah!! Tsukishima!! Get on out there and whoop Kuroo’s butt!!” Sugawara yelled.

“Well, well, Suga-chan is all hot and bothered today.” Kuroo chuckled.

Tsukishima addressed Sugawara as he said, “No, I can’t.” He turned around and walked onto the court, facing Kuroo. “You see,” he continued, “Never in my life have I thought I could challenge someone better than me and win.” He smiled cheekily at Kuroo. “I mean, me? Outdo _you_ , Kuroo-san? Ha ha ha! Goodness, no. Never.”

The smile disappeared from his face as he got in position for the serve. Tsukishima did not have to even glance back to know Yamaguchi was preparing to serve. “I am under no illusions that I could ever beat you on my own.”

Kuroo chuckled and was about to make a jab at Tsukishima learning teamwork before Yamaguchi called out, “Get a room!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! I have 1 or 2 more works to post tonight so we'll see!!


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